Poll: What’s the Best Van Halen Album? – Vote Now
Rock 'n' roll was in need of something new during the latter half of the 1970s, and California rockers Van Halen came just in time to save the day. Though the band as we know it has been over since the death of Eddie Van Halen in October of 2020, they left a strong legacy behind. We want to know which Van Halen album you think is the best during this week's Loudwire Nights Album of the Week poll.
You'll have until Friday at 12N ET to cast your votes. We’ll then play the three tracks from the album with the most votes during Loudwire Nights' Album of the Week block to start the following Monday's show!
Van Halen's story is unique because they have albums with three different singers, and were largely successful with two of them. They started with their self-titled debut in 1978, which featured David Lee Roth, also known as the one and only "Diamond Dave." Thanks to some of its smash hits including "Runnin' With the Devil" and a cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" combined with Eddie Van Halen's incredible and innovative guitar playing, it was a commercial success.
The rockers followed Van Halen up with five more albums with Roth behind the mic and then had a falling out with the singer, leading them to recruit Sammy Hagar to replace him. Their first record with him, 5150, came out in 1986 and earned the band their very first No. 1. It was a bit of a departure in sound from what they'd previously been doing, as Eddie Van Halen incorporated played the keyboard and incorporated more synthesizers into a lot of the tracks, but it proved to be a success for them regardless.
Hagar appeared on three more Van Halen albums afterward, and then they released their one and only record, Van Halen III, with Gary Cherone on vocals. Though it peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, it was one of their less popular releases. Then, 14 years later, they put out their final album A Different Kind of Truth, which once again featured Roth as the singer.
Head below to vote for your favorite Van Halen album, then tune into Loudwire Nights next Monday at 7PM ET to find out which record prevailed. During tonight's show, you'll get to find out which Green Day album was voted the best, and hear three songs from the winner.
Loudwire Nights with Toni Gonzalez airs nightly starting at 7PM ET. You can tune in anytime, from anywhere right here or by downloading the Loudwire app.